R.I.P. SPORTS RELATED 2023(Non Wrestlers) (*)

[jimsteel]

Steve Junker, a former NFL end, passed away at the age of 88.

The following is an excerpt from Junker's online obituary: "Steve graduated from Holy Family in 1949, Elder High School in 1953 and Xavier University in 1957. Steve was a talented and successful athlete. He started his football career at Elder High School as a Freshman. He then went on to attend Xavier University on a football scholarship. He was elected captain his Senior year. Steve was inducted into the Xavier University Athletic Hall of Fame and was awarded the Legion of Honor, Xavier’s highest award for athletes. He was selected to play in the college All-Star Game versus the NFL Champions, the East-West Shrine Game as well as the North vs South Senior Bowl. Steve was selected in the 4th round of the NFL Draft (48th pick), where he enjoyed a spectacular rookie campaign with Detroit with multiple catches and three touchdowns in the 1957 Playoffs and Championship Games. He was considered for Rookie of the Year, losing to the great Jim Brown. He was also proud of winning the Army Base Championship while in the service for the Berlin Airlift Crisis in 1961. He played in the NFL for 6 years before knee injuries ended his career. He scouted in 1963 for the soon to be Atlanta Falcons franchise before ending his scouting career with the Dallas Cowboys. He left scouting in 1967."

Junker was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the fourth round (48th overall pick) of the 1957 NFL Draft. As a rookie in 1957, he caught 22 passes for 305 yards and four touchdowns in the regular season. He then blossomed in the playoffs. In the divisional playoff against the San Francisco 49ers, Junker caught eight passes for 92 yards, one of them for a touchdown. In the 1957 NFL Championship Game, he was the Lions' leading scorer with 12 points and caught five passes, including touchdown receptions covering 26 and 23 yards.
Junker suffered a knee injury in an Xavier alumni football game in the spring of 1958. Junker later recalled that, despite four knee surgeries, "The knee just never quite came back." As a result of the injury, he missed the entire 1958 NFL season.

Junker returned to the Lions in 1959, but he continued to be hampered by his bad knee and had no catches. During the Lions' pre-season camp in 1960, Junker impressed observers and led to him being "hailed as the 'comeback star' of 1960."However, he managed only six catches for 55 yards during the 1960 regular season.
In September 1961, the Lions traded Junker to the Washington Redskins in exchange for Johnny Olszewski. He played for the Redskins in 1961 and 1962, totaling 20 catches for 279 yards.

[jimsteel]

Randy Legge, a former NHL defenseman, passed away at the age of 77.

He played 12 games in the National Hockey League for the New York Rangers during the 1972–73 season. He also played 192 games in the World Hockey Association with the Michigan Stags/Baltimore Blades, Winnipeg Jets, Cleveland Crusaders and San Diego Mariners from 1974 to 1977. During his WHA/NHL career, he notched 3 goals with 34 assists during a career where he played in 204 games. Including minor league hockey, his career spanned 15 total years.

[jimsteel]

Bob Allen, a former MLB pitcher, passed away at the age of 86.

Allen was signed by the Indians as an amateur free agent in 1956. He had an impressive 1960 season with Cleveland's Mobile minor league affiliate, with a 16–11 won-loss record. He then made his major league debut on April 14, 1961, with the Cleveland Indians at age 23. On that day, Allen pitched to three hitters, all of whom he retired. Despite a record of 3–2 and 3.75 earned-run average in 81-2/3 innings pitched, he was sent to the minors after his record slipped to 1–1 with an earned-run average of 5.87 in 30-2/3 innings. He spent much of 1962 with Cleveland's Salt Lake City farm club, posting a 5–2 record there.

Allen had a record of 1–2 and an ERA of 4.66 for Cleveland in 1963, pitching 56 innings. After the season, the Indians traded Allen to the Pittsburgh Pirates on December 14 for players to be named. The Pirates sent Allen back to Cleveland in April 1964. He appeared as a Pittsburgh Pirate on his 1964 Topps baseball card, #209, although he never appeared in a regular-season major league game as a Pirate. He did not pitch in the major leagues in 1964 or 1965.

After years of working back to the Major Leagues, Allen had a record of 2–2 and a 4.21 ERA in 1966, pitching 51-1/3 innings. In 1967, Allen's record was 0–5 despite a 2.98 ERA, pitching 54-1/3 innings. Allen never pitched in the majors again. Allen had a lifetime 7–12 record, a 4.11 ERA, 132 walks, and 199 strikeouts. Allen never started a major league game, appearing as a reliever in 204 games and recording 19 saves. Allen was 4 for 31 with a lifetime batting average of .129.

[TTX]

RIP. I know it's entirely coincidence but deaths just seem to come in droves in December.

[jimsteel]

Dec 18, 2023 9:56:32 GMT -5 TTX said:

RIP. I know it's entirely coincidence but deaths just seem to come in droves in December.

Always seems that way

[jimsteel]

Ex-NBA Player Eric Montross Dead At 52 After Cancer Battle

Montross was a star for the University of North Carolina Tar Heels ... winning a national championship in 1993 before playing eight seasons in the pros for the Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, New Jersey Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, Detroit Pistons and Toronto Raptors.

Montross was an All-American for UNC ... and received All-ACC honors in 1993 and 1994.


He scored 2,071 points and recorded 2,159 rebounds over the course of his NBA career ... and went on to provide color commentary for Tar Heels basketball games after announcing his retirement in 2003.

[TTX]

I remember Eric well. RIP.

[jimsteel]

Jim Heighton was a Canadian football player who was a defensive lineman during thirteen seasons in the Canadian Football League, he passed away at the age of 79 as announced on Saturday by his former CFL team the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

He was a CFL West All-Star in 1971, 1974, and 1976, and was also named to the 1972 and 1974 Western Conference All-Star teams as selected by the Football Reporters of Canada. In 1974 and 1976, he won the Dr Bert Oja Award as the Bombers' Most Valuable Lineman. Heighton was also a three-time Schenley award nominee (1974 Most Outstanding Canadian; 1974 Most Outstanding Defensemen; 1976 Most Outstanding Canadian). In 2014, he was inducted into the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Hall of Fame.

As a Masters athlete in Track and Field, Heighton won eight gold medals at the national level in weight throw, hammer throw, shot put and pentathlon (2008, 2013). He was twice inducted into the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame (2009, 2011) as a player for the Giroux Athletics and for the Grosse Isle Blue Jays championship baseball teams. An all-round athlete, Heighton also played on several medal-winning amateur basketball and soccer teams, and was an owner/breeder/racer of thoroughbred horses.

In 2016, he was named to the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame.

[on_the_edge]

As a U of M fan I was not a fan of Montross the player but nothing against him the person. Too young. RIP

[jimsteel]

Ed Budde, a former AFL/NFL guard, passed away at the age of 83.

A product of Denby High School in Detroit, Michigan, and later Michigan State University, Budde was chosen as the number one draft pick of the American Football League's Kansas City Chiefs in 1963.

Budde played for the Kansas City Chiefs for 14 years as the left offensive guard, longer than any other Chief except for punter Jerrel Wilson, by one year. From 1963 to 1971, he did not miss a single start, playing in all 14 games. Budde was 6'5 and 260 pounds with an unusual stance, in that he put his left hand down instead of the usual right.

His explosive blocks often sprang a running back loose or kept defenders away from Chiefs quarterback Len Dawson. At the heart of the Chiefs’ offensive line with Jim Tyrer at left offensive tackle, his overpowering presence helped the Chiefs win two American Football League Championships (1966 and 1969) and a world championship in Super Bowl IV after defeating the NFL's Minnesota Vikings 23-7, with Budde able to handle the opposing right defensive tackle, Hall-of-Famer, Alan Page.

Budde was selected to the American Football League All-Star team in 1963, ‘66, ‘67, ‘68, and 1969, and played in six AFL All-Star games. He was selected for the Sporting News AFL All-League team in 1969. Budde was the first offensive lineman to be selected by the Associated Press as Offensive Player of the Week.

Budde, who retired after the 1976 season, is a member of the all-time All-AFL Team first-team.

His son Brad Budde was an All-American at the University of Southern California and also played in the NFL for the Chiefs, the only father-son combination to be first-round draft picks for the same NFL team